WHO ARE WE

We are a group of residents in the Columbia Valley area working together with local law enforcement to keep our neighborhood safe and improve the security and quality of life for our community members.

Block Watch is a program based on the principle that neighbors working together are the first and best line of defense against crime.

Block Watch organizes and extends what you are probably already doing on an informal basis.  We tend to know and watch out for our closest neighbors, but a group of neighbors at one end of the block who are doing this may not know the group of neighbors at the other end of the block.  

Organizing a Block Watch makes this attitude of watchfulness more systematic, and provides a block map or contact list with neighbors' names, telephone numbers and emails that can be used in case of an emergency.

The program usually requires two commitments: 

• A commitment to be concerned about your neighbor's property and well-being as well as your own. 

• A commitment to report suspicious activity and take action by alerting your neighbors and calling 9-1-1. 

Block Watch is a partnership between citizens and the Whatcom County Sheriff's  Department, who work together to help make neighborhoods more safe and enjoyable. Residents are far more familiar with issues affecting their neighborhoods than police. However, residents don't always have the tools or specialized skills that are needed to address problems before they deteriorate to a level that crime takes a foothold. By working together, we can reduce criminal activity, improve safety and promote healthy neighborhoods.

YES, it works

• A south Mount Vernon Block Watch group removed drug activity after a neighboring home became foreclosed and abandoned.

• A Block Watch Captain spots an individual who is out of place for their neighborhood, contact police who discover he's involved in a crime in a nearby neighborhood.

• A Block Watch group along the Kulshan Trail were frequently painting over graffiti on a separating fence between the trail and homes. Working with Community Service Officers, they planted bushes and placed decorative lattace patterns along the fence fronts. Graffiti did not reoccur in these locations!